More Changes; The Carnage Continues

The last of the Nikon Z7 images.  I think this subject matter dictates black and white over color.
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This is a continuation of my last post in which I explained why I recently sold all of my micro4/3 gear.  You can find it here.

For a bit of background and refresher, for too long I've had three camera systems using three different sensor formats—Olympus, Fujifilm and Nikon.  I've written about wanting to pare down the amount of gear I own but I've struggled to decide which to sell and which to keep.  I enjoyed and liked using all of my gear.  The three different systems each had its strengths and weaknesses and each time I went out to photograph I found myself having to decide  which was the most appropriate kit for that day.

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The last time I went through this process I sold off most of the APS-C gear using the logic that that, as an 'in-between' format, the sensor size is both too close to full frame format and also too close to the micro4/3 format.  It made more sense to have the two remaining formats separated by a factor of four rather than a factor of two.  

However, missing using the Fujifilm gear, after several months I rebought a camera body and a couple of lenses.  I just missed the pleasure of using Fuji X cameras and lenses.  Fast forward to today and again finding myself in the mindset that I need to divest myself of what I think is way too much gear, I'm determined to do so but what do I sell since the APS-C divestiture didn't work out  so well for me?  The decision turned out to be easier this time and now the micro4/3 gear has been sold.

But that isn't the end of the story.  Since I was in this mindset, I thought I would now sell off a second camera system.  Owning only one system in one format would allow me to concentrate my photography using only one camera, one menu system and one set of strengths and weaknesses.  No more trying to decide which gear to pick up and take out.  No more being tempted to buy more lenses and bodies for more than one format, one system.  But which one?

This decision was even easier than the prior decision to sell my Olympus gear.  The Nikon would go.  Even though it is full frame, 45mp, is capable of producing extraordinary images, has the best dynamic range of any camera I've owned or used and the new 'S' lenses from Nikon are the best Nikon lenses I've ever owned and used.  The bottom line is that a) I always intended to sell the Nikon gear after I completed copying my slide and negative archives (You can read that multi-part post starting here), b) I found several things about using the Z7 that was bothersome as it lacked some basic functionality that I used regularly (for example, like having both the histogram and horizon level visible in the EVF simultaneously).  Additionally, I never really developed that feeling or desire that the Z7 was THE camera I wanted to pick up as I left my house and c), there weren't any images I made with the Nikon gear that I couldn't have made with the Fujifilm gear.  Frankly, I don't need full frame.  You may need full frame for your photography but I discovered I don't.  APS-C fully meets my needs.  Nicely at that, as well.

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All of the Olympus gear and all of the Nikon gear are now gone.  Every bit of it.  I've kept nothing back.  If I did, I would be tempted to buy another lens or such and then find myself right back where I started.  Nope.  All gone.  Elvis, again, has left the building.  LOL

That said, for full disclosure, if sometime in the future I ever find a need to for a full frame camera, it won't be a Nikon.  This is coming from a guy who has never been without a Nikon camera since 1975.  (I still have an old film FE2, an old 35mm f/2 NIKKOR and a 24mm f/2.8 NIKKOR lens, however).  Nikon seems to continuously be a step behind everyone else in the industry.  Great cameras and lenses, but they always seem to be playing 'catch up.'

What transpired after I re-bought the X-T4 and the three lenses (10-24, 16-55, 55-200) was that I found myself picking up the Fujifilm gear 90% of the time.  It was obvious to me that I enjoy using Fujifilm cameras more than the Olympus or Nikon.  But why?

Being 'reared' on 35mm film cameras (I started seriously photographing in 1970), my brain perfectly syncs with aperture rings on lenses, shutter speed and other dials on cameras as well as the film simulations that are provided by Fujifilm.  In the past, I've shot hundreds of rolls of Fujifilm slide and negative film.  I like the way it reproduces my subjects.  If I desire, with the X-T4, I can use Fujifilm X-RAW Studio and use the camera's color engine to create TIFF and/or JPEG files from my RAW files—a much better color rendition than does Adobe or other raw converting software.

The Fujifilm menu system works flawlessly for me.  I can find a setting I need immediately.  I love the feel of quality in the camera and the way the camera feels in my hands.  I love the quality and selection of the Fujifilm lenses.  I love the JPEGs from the camera.

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My thinking and selection process for buying digital cameras has changed over the years.  For me, it used to be all about maximum pixels, maximum dynamic range, the latest and greatest technology.  That is now secondary.  All of today's interchangeable lens digital cameras is capable of excellent image quality.  For me, the deciding factor in buying or keeping a camera is almost entirely about: 

a)  how the camera feels in my hand,

b)  the placement, feel, number and customizability of buttons, dials and menus,

c)  how the menu logically "clicks" with my brain and how easy it is for me to understand,

d)  the type, focal length and image quality of the available lenses, 

e)  the features that I need and want for my kinds of photography, and 

f)  that unexplainable satisfying feeling that I get when I use certain things.

That said, there are a couple of other 'deal breakers' for me that, if not included in a camera, would preclude me from buying it.  For example, in-body-image-stabilization (IBIS) and a 'joystick' for moving the focusing points very quickly around the frame.  I find those two features, along with a few others, very valuable to my way of shooting.

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So there you have it.  From three systems to one along with the logic behind my decision making.  In the near future, I will somewhat fill out the Fujifilm system.  I may or may not buy some sort of backup body to the X-T4 or I may wait to see what the X-H2 will bring next year.  I plan on purchasing a macro lens, most likely the 80mm f/2.8, and the 100-400mm lens for my occasional forays into wildlife and bird photography.  Lastly, I always have some sort of semi-wide fast prime for those times when I shoot indoors, family events, low light, etc.  Other than that, I'm pretty happy with what I now have.

In future posts, if you see that I've posted images from any cameras other than an X-T4, those images will be from my archives.  All current images, for the time being at least, will be from the X-T4.

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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